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identified the proper policy would be to fill the gap." The report suggested that might not necessarily be the right policy. The report contained several cautionary statements about the huge losses that civic convention centers could experience. Ms. Bettman said that the Hilton Hotel did not belong to the City and the company had plenty of assets if it wanted to expand. Ms. Bettman did not think that Eugene, as the largest community in the county, would necessarily benefit from increased tourism. Ms. Bettman expressed concern about the possibility a special district could be used as a funding mecha- nism. Ms. Bettman said that she supported the expansion of convention facilities. However, she did not think the City was being consistent in its approach. She heard people argue for privatization as being more cost- effective, but in this case the City was considering a public subsidy to private business. If it did so, it would be competing with existing private businesses. That did not make sense to her. Mr. Pap~ wanted to move forward with the interim working group. He agreed with Mr. Pryor about the need to do something bold, but he did not want to ~jump on a bandwagon" to compete with other communi- ties building convention facilities. He hoped the working group could be more strategic and focus on niches such as the arts and outdoors. Mr. Pryor said the discussion had been a good one, and he thought the council could take a first step without taking out its checkbook. He wanted to demonstrate the City's support for the initiative, and suggested the staff-prepared motions were the first step toward demonstrating that support. Ms. Taylor commended Mr. Pap6's remarks, saying that Eugene did not have to be like other communities. She said that Eugene should be the best it could be at what it was good at. She agreed with Mr. Kelly that the community should maintain and enhance what it had. Mayor Piercy said the motion merely called for the formation of a group to assess a structure; it did not commit the City to any project or plan. She believed it would be good to have a conversation about the issue in an organized way that resulted in a recommendation that addressed the public interest and fit Eugene. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to adopt a regional tourism goal to be ac- complished through multi-jurisdictional cooperation: ~The City of Eugene will work with Lane County and the City of Springfield to retain its collective position as the largest re- gional hub of tourism and convention activity in Oregon outside the Portland metro area." Ms. Taylor indicated her second was a formality in her role as the most senior council member. The motion passed, 5:3; Ms. Bettman, Ms. Taylor, and Ms. Ortiz voting no. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to form an interim group to assess a struc- ture for a permanent interjurisdictional entity to establish and maintain tourism facilities MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 28, 2005 Page 11 Work Session